It all started with a feeling of fatigue, with dots she saw in her left eye, followed by severe pain. That morning, Stacie Broek had planned to attend a fundraiser at her children’s school – but she didn’t make it. Her husband Johan found her, recognized the symptoms, and called emergency services.

The emergency surgery at the hospital proved difficult. After six hours, the doctors asked her husband if they could try an experimental method. "Would you do it if it were your wife?" he asked. Because the doctors said yes, he gave his consent.

When Stacie Broek woke up, her life began anew. "I was like a toddler," she says. She took speech therapy, worked on her motor skills, pulled herself back into life – day by day, hour by hour. A long road made up of many small steps: the first visit to the grocery story, the first bike ride into town, learning to cope with uncertainty, with fears and worries.

Stacie Broek is a remarkable stroke survivor who has made significant strides in her recovery: Today she runs half-marathons and she published her first book. But it is important to recognize that each stroke patient's journey is unique, and not all stroke survivors experience the same level of improvement.

Stacie calls it a "rollercoaster" and talks openly about the setbacks along the way. Today, she has a mission: she wants to educate people about strokes, its causes and symptoms, as well as prevention. "I want to draw attention to the 12 million people worldwide who suffer a stroke every year," says Stacie Broek, who is a partner in an awareness campaign by Bayer. "I’m grateful for the voice that Bayer has given me."